Samsung India Workers Strike for Better Wages and Conditions

Hundreds of workers at Samsung Electronics' plant in southern India are protesting for better wages and working conditions, disrupting a key production facility. The strike, which has lasted three days, also demands union recognition. This unrest occurs during a critical sales period for Samsung in India.

Hundreds of workers at Samsung Electronics' southern India plant have boycotted work for a third consecutive day, demanding better wages and working conditions. The protest has disrupted output at the facility, crucial for the global tech giant's operations as it produces televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines. This plant contributes between 20% and 30% of Samsung's annual $12 billion revenue in India.

The industrial action in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, is one of the most significant worker strikes in recent years in India. The factory is located in a hub for automobile and electronics manufacturing, alongside units of other global giants like Foxconn and Dell. Workers are calling for Samsung to recognize their union and improve their wages and working conditions. Samsung Southwest Asia CEO JB Park and senior executives have visited the facility to try to resolve the issue.

"They (Samsung) will soon have to talk to us, just like they had to engage with the Korean union," union leader E. Muthukumar told Reuters. Earlier this year, 36,500 Samsung Electronics employees in South Korea held a similar strike demanding higher wages and benefits, though production remained unaffected there.

Samsung India has yet to respond to the ongoing strike. A company spokesperson stated that Samsung actively engages with workers to address grievances and comply with laws and regulations. The protest comes ahead of India's festive season, a critical period for consumer sales.

Outside the plant, Samsung employees have stood firm in their demands, chanting slogans and forming a makeshift camp. The factory, which employs around 1,800 workers, remains a focal point of the strike. There have been no similar disruptions at Samsung's other plant in Uttar Pradesh, which manufactures smartphones.

(With inputs from agencies.)